Whatever the case, this item was not suitable to be openly auctioned at the Fishing Lodge. Why would Fu Lingchuan bring it out now?

Feng Miaojun knew something was amiss but discreetly stepped back two paces, falling behind the three.

Manager Niu only vaguely sensed something wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what: “What’s the purpose of storing so many souls?”

“As they say, form replenishes form, life replenishes life,” Fu Lingchuan smiled, revealing a mouth full of white teeth. “Naturally, souls can also replenish souls!”

Replenish souls? Whose soul?

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Feng Miaojun saw a faint blue shadowy figure emerge from the piece of wood beside the throne.

Then, a voice echoed throughout the hall: “You say these are masterless souls?”

“Lord Ao!” Manager Niu turned pale with fright, and the guards in the hall also took notice. The soul power sphere in this person’s hand had disturbed Lord Ao from his slumber!

Fu Lingchuan addressed the shadowy figure: “That’s right. But I request one uninterrupted conversation, and this soul power sphere is yours.” Both he and Princess Changle remained calm, even showing a hint of anticipation, clearly already knowing who this was.

Even Manager Niu, slow as he was, finally realized what was happening and shouted sternly: “Guards, seize him!”

He had been confused! Seeing these two in Lord Yangshan’s good graces and claiming to have a Heaven-rank secret treasure for appraisal, he thought a big business opportunity had arrived, not knowing they had ulterior motives!

Feng Miaojun also didn’t hesitate, darting toward the side door of the great hall. No matter what, personal safety came first.

Just as the guards closed in, all seven doors at the front and back of the hall suddenly slammed shut with a “boom”!

Those inside couldn’t get out, and those outside couldn’t get in.

Such a grand gesture was beyond Fu Lingchuan’s abilities. Manager Niu broke out in a cold sweat: “Lord Ao, please don’t trust the words of these villains…”

The shadowy figure materialized on the piece of wood and addressed everyone: “Silence, all of you step back.”

Though small in form, its voice carried undeniable authority.

Two guards exchanged glances and secretly advanced two steps. As a result, the long seaweed beside their feet suddenly glowed with a faint blue light, coiling around them like snakes, binding them tightly.

The seaweed was covered with serrated edges that cut them all over when they moved. The two men screamed in agony as if the leaves were coated with chili water.

The shadow said: “Step forward again, and death awaits.”

Hearing its anger, no one dared move. Feng Miaojun retreated to the door, hiding behind two tall guards.

Only then did the shadow address Fu Lingchuan: “Soul power, give it to me.”

The hall was already sealed, and those inside didn’t dare to act—wasn’t this “uninterrupted” enough?

As it revealed its true form, Feng Miaojun saw that this being carried a spiral shell on its back, bulging eyes, and a tiny mouth, along with two large pincers. Under the shell, six claws emerged—it was the ghostly figure of a coconut-sized crab.

Though Feng Miaojun might not have eaten pork, she had seen pigs run—she could recognize at a glance that this was a monster soul and that conical shell with its exaggerated patterns looked extremely familiar.

A flash of insight struck her, and she suddenly remembered the name of that decayed piece of wood:

Soul-nurturing Wood.

The legendary Soul-nurturing Wood that could house and nourish souls turned out to be so unremarkable in appearance. From birth, a living being’s soul and body are matched like a pot and its lid. Transferring a soul to another body, called possession, is inherently against the natural order. Even if successful, incompatibility between soul and body would soon appear, forcing the soul to migrate again, like a hermit crab seeking a new shell. During this process, however, the soul would deteriorate.

Thus, someone created the Soul-nurturing Wood. This item could provide temporary residence for souls after they leave their bodies, minimizing the loss of soul power. Of course, this method wasn’t very suitable for ordinary people whose soul power was too weak to last long even with the Soul-nurturing Wood.

This crab soul had manifested all eight legs clearly, indicating profound cultivation. Feng Miaojun wasn’t sure how long it had been attached to the Soul-nurturing Wood.

When had it died?

Though merely a wisp of soul, it could control this entire hall. Manager Niu addressed it as “Lord Ao” with great respect, showing its esteemed position. Yet the guide had never mentioned that Spiral Float City had such a “Lord,” and Lu Chuanying’s intelligence contained not a word about it.

Could it be… a thought surfaced in her mind that startled even herself.

Fu Lingchuan stepped forward, chanted something before the Soul-nurturing Wood, and then crushed the soul power sphere in his hand!

The souls inside were already in a saturated state. Once their constraint was removed, they scattered in all directions following their instincts. Without the support of the soul power sphere, they were just disordered, masterless energy that would quickly disappear if no one captured them.

But the crab spirit on the Soul-nurturing Wood had been eyeing them covetously. It opened its mouth wide like a whale sucking in water, and with a “whoosh” inhaled all the escaping souls.

Though small in stature, its suction was incredibly strong, even stirring up a gale in the hall that made Feng Miaojun’s hair whip wildly.

Even as just a monster soul, this creature was formidable—no wonder it could sit beside the Merman King.

In just a few breaths, all the escaped souls were sucked into the crab spirit’s belly without a single one remaining. Only then did it close its mouth in satisfaction, even giving a belch of fullness.

“Good stuff,” its protruding eyes turned toward Fu Lingchuan. “You wouldn’t give me soul power for nothing. Human, state your request.”

Its tone was condescending, and Feng Miaojun found it jarring. The world had changed long ago—monsters were no longer superior to powerful human cultivators. Yet this crab spirit’s tone seemed as if it were addressing insignificant ants.

However, if its identity was as she suspected, then it did have the right to speak this way.

Fu Lingchuan didn’t waste time either. He gently pushed Princess Changle in front of him and said directly: “Lord Ao, this is the former Princess of An Xia, now the Queen of New Xia. New Xia has just been established and needs a powerful divine artifact worthy of being a state treasure.”

Lord Ao snorted lightly: “I thought it was something significant. Isn’t the Spiral Float Fishing Lodge currently in session? Aren’t you afraid you won’t find a suitable treasure?”

Feng Miaojun drew in a sharp breath: she knew what Fu Lingchuan was planning.

New Xia had just been established. Given Fu Lingchuan’s ambition and the surrounding situation, they naturally needed to establish a state treasure to gather elemental power. But when An Xia fell, its state treasure had been taken by the Kingdom of Wei, so Fu Lingchuan and Princess Changle had to find a new divine object to seek heaven’s approval.

Feng Miaojun knew all this, but she hadn’t expected Fu Lingchuan’s appetite to be so large!

The state treasurer he wanted was—”Your shell,” Fu Lingchuan gave a light laugh, his eyes flashing with undisguised ambition. “In the presence of this supreme treasure, what other magical artifact could be called divine? New Xia needs the best state treasure!”